AIR VENT

Abstract

An air vent for a motor vehicle with two air control elements that are disposed inside one another, the outer air control element of which is tubular in such a way that the air control elements delimit a first air channel between one another, and the outer air control element delimits a second air channel between itself and a tubular housing of the air vent. For restricting an air current flowing through the air vent, the two air control elements can be displaced by way of two helical gears coaxially in the housing, which are disposed coaxially inside one another and in the housing and which include a tube including an internal thread and an external thread, serving as a shared drive element, which forms a spindle nut for an interior, and a (hollow) spindle for an exterior, of the two helical gears.

Claims

1. An air vent comprising a first air control element, wherein the air vent comprises a first helical gear having an axis of rotation and a first sliding guide for the first air control element which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the first helical gear, and that, when the first helical gear is rotatably driven, the first helical gear displaces the first air control element along the first sliding guide.

2. The air vent according to claim 1, wherein the air vent comprises a second air control element and a second sliding guide, which displaceably guides the second air control element parallel to the first sliding guide, and that the air vent comprises an, in particular coaxial, second helical gear that is parallel to the first helical gear.

3. The air vent according to claim 2, wherein the two helical gears have differing thread pitches.

4. The air vent according to claim 2, wherein the two helical gears comprise a shared drive element.

5. The air vent according to claim 4, wherein the shared drive element includes an external thread and an internal thread that is coaxial with respect to the external thread, that the first helical gear comprises the shared drive element and a spindle, the external thread of which engages with the internal thread of the shared drive element, and that the second helical gear comprises the shared drive element and a spindle nut, the internal thread of which engages with the external thread of the shared drive element.

6. The air vent according to claim 2, wherein one of the two air control elements is an air restriction element, which, when moving, restricts an air current flowing through the air vent.

7. The air vent according to claim 2, wherein the first air control element is disposed in the second air control element, and that the two air control elements delimit a first air channel including a first air outlet opening between one another, that the second air control element is disposed in a housing, and that the second air control element and the housing delimit a second air channel including a second air outlet opening between one another, and that the first air control element can be displaced in the second air control element so as to vary a cross-sectional surface area of the first air channel through which air can flow, and that the second air control element can be displaced in the housing so as to vary a cross-sectional surface area of the second air channel through which air can flow.

8. The air vent according to claim 7, wherein the first air control element can be displaced in the second air control element such that a distance between the first air control element and the first air outlet opening of the first air channel can be varied, and that the second air control element can be displaced in the housing such that a distance between the second air control element and the second air outlet opening can be varied.

9. The air vent according to claim 7, wherein the first air channel can be closed by way of the first air control element and/or that the second air channel can be closed by way of the second air control element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0017] The invention will be described hereafter in greater detail based on one exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows an axial section of an air vent according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The air vent 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 is intended for recessed installation in an instrument panel or a center console of a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, which is not shown. The air vent comprises a tubular or channel-like housing 2 having a cross-section that varies across the length thereof, which is installed into the instrument panel or the center console in a recessed manner and with an edge of an air outlet opening 21, 22 flush in an opening of a surface of the instrument panel or of the center console which faces the passenger compartment.

[0020] The air vent 1 comprises two air control elements 3, 4, of which a first air control element 3 is disposed in a second air control element 4, and the second air control element 4 is, or both air control elements 3, 4 are, disposed in the housing 2.

[0021] In the exemplary embodiment, the two air control elements 3, 4 can be interpreted as being pear-shaped, wherein the second air control element 4 is tubular and surrounds the first air control element 3 such that the two air control elements 3, 4 delimit an annular first air channel 5, which surrounds the first air control element 3 in the second air control element 4, between one another. The second air control element 4 and the housing 2 likewise delimit a likewise annular second air channel 6 between one another, which surrounds the second air control element 4 in the housing 2.

[0022] In the exemplary embodiment, the two air control elements 3, 4 and the housing 2 have rectangle-like, substantially square cross-sections, having convexly curved sides and rounded regions, instead of corners; however, this is not essential for the invention. The air control elements 3, 4 are disposed coaxially inside one another and in the housing 2.

[0023] Two helical gears 7, 8 are disposed coaxially inside one another, coaxially in the housing 2, and comprise a tube including an internal thread 14 and an external thread 10 that is coaxial with respect to the internal thread 14, serving as a shared drive element 11. The internal thread 14 of the shared drive element 11 engages with an external thread 12 of a spindle 13, which is rigidly connected to the first air control element 3. The external thread 10 of the shared drive element 11 engages with an internal thread 14a of a sleeve, which is referred to as a spindle nut 15 here. The spindle nut 15 is rigidly connected to the second air control element 4 by way of radial ribs 16. In the exemplary embodiment, the spindle 13 is integral with the first air control element 3, and the spindle nut 15 is integral with the second air control element 4.

[0024] The shared drive element 11 and the spindle 13 form the first helical gear 7 for displacing the first air control element 3 in the second air control element 4, and the shared drive element 11 and the spindle nut 15 form the second helical gear 8 for displacing the second air control element 4 in the housing 2 of the air vent 1 according to the invention. The shared drive element 11 is an integral part of the two helical gears 7, 8 and may be interpreted as a spindle nut of the first helical gear 7 and as a (hollow) spindle of the second helical gear 8, wherein the sleeve including the internal thread 14a can be interpreted as the spindle nut 15 thereof.

[0025] As a result of the shared drive element 11 being rotatably driven, both the displacement of the spindle 13 together with the first air control element 3 and the displacement of the spindle nut 15 together with the second air control element 4 are carried out coaxially with respect to an axis of rotation 17 of the two helical gears 7, 8. The axis of rotation 17 corresponds to the flow axis here, along which the air current flows through the air vent 1. In the exemplary embodiment, the two helical gears 7, 8 include right-handed threads, which is to say, threads having pitches oriented in the same direction; however, in the exemplary embodiment, the first helical gear 7 has a larger thread pitch than the second helical gear 8 so that, when the shared drive element 11 is being rotatably driven, the first air control element 3 moves more quickly and to a greater extent than the second air control element 4. In the exemplary embodiment, the thread pitch of the first helical gear 7 is twice as large as the thread pitch of the second helical gear 8, so that, when the shared drive element 11 is being rotatably driven, the first air control element 3 is moved twice as quickly and twice as far as the second air control element 4.

[0026] A first cylinder tube ring 18 is mounted in a rotatable and axially fixed manner, coaxially in the first housing 2, from which radial ribs 19 project inwardly, which rigidly connect the shared drive element 11 to the first cylinder tube ring 18. In the exemplary embodiment, the shared drive element 11, the radial ribs 19, and the first cylinder tube ring 18 are integral with one another. The first cylinder tube ring 18 holds the shared drive element 11 coaxially in the housing 2. In the exemplary embodiment, rotary driving of the first cylinder tube ring 18 and, by way of the first cylinder tube ring 18, of the shared drive element 11 are carried out electromechanically using an electric motor 20, which is illustrated as a graphical symbol in the drawing. Other rotary drives are possible.

[0027] As described, as a result of the shared drive element 11 being rotatably driven by way of the two helical gears 7, 8, the two air control elements 3, 4 are jointly displaced in the same direction, wherein, due to the differing thread pitches of the two helical gears 7, 8, the first air control element 3, which is the interior one in the exemplary embodiment, is displaced, in the exemplary embodiment, twice as quickly and twice as far as the second air control element 4, which is the exterior one in the exemplary embodiment. As a result of the displacement, the distances between the two air control elements 3, 4 and air outlet openings 21, 22 of the two air channels 5, 6 change, whereby a surface area of annular cross-sections of the two annular air channels 5, 6 through which air can flow changes. By reducing the surface areas of the annular cross-sections of the two air channels 5, 6, the flow resistance of the air channels 5, 6 is increased, and air currents flowing through the two air channels 5, 6 are restricted. The two air control elements 3, 4 can thus also be interpreted as air volume control elements or as air restriction elements.

[0028] In the exemplary embodiment, the two air control elements 3, 4 can be displaced so far into the air outlet openings 21, 22 of the air channels 7, 8 as to close the air outlet openings 21, 22 and block air from flowing through the air channels 7, 8. Absolute air-tight blocking is not necessary, and gaps between the two air control elements 3, 4 and between the second air control element 4 and the housing 2, through which remaining air can flow, are possible.

[0029] The spindle 13 and the shared drive element 11, which is to say the first helical gear 7, form a first sliding guide 23 that is coaxial with respect to the axis of rotation 17 of the first helical gear 7 and that displaceably guides the first air control element 3 coaxially with respect to the axis of rotation 17 of the first helical gear 7. Likewise, the shared drive element 11 and the spindle nut 15, which is to say the second helical gear 8, form a second sliding guide 24 that is coaxial with respect to the axis of rotation 17 of the second helical gear 8 and that displaceably guides the second air control element 8 coaxially with respect to the axis of rotation 17. The two helical gears 7, 8, and thus also the two sliding gears 23, 24, are coaxial with respect to one another and coaxial in the housing 2, whereby the two air control elements 3, 4 are displaceably guided, coaxially in the housing 2 of the air vent 1 according to the invention.

[0030] For guiding the air current through the air vent 1, the air vent 1 comprises an air guide flap 25, which is mounted in the first cylinder tube ring 18 so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis 26 that is radial with respect to the housing 2. For pivoting the air guide flap 25, the air vent 1 comprises a second cylinder tube ring 27, which is disposed axially upstream from the first cylinder tube ring 18 and mounted rotatably in the housing 2. A pin 28, which protrudes into an axially parallel elongated hole 29 in the second cylinder tube ring 27, projects from the air guide flap 25 to the outside, on one side of the air guide flap 25, radially with respect to the housing 2. As a result of the two cylinder tube rings 18, 27 being rotated with respect to one another, the air guide flap 25, can be pivoted, as shown with dotted lines in FIG. 1, thereby guiding the air current through the air vent 1.

[0031] As a result of a rotation of the first cylinder tube ring 18, in which the air guide flap 25 is pivotably mounted, the air guide flap 25 can be rotated about the axis of rotation 17 of the two helical gears 7, 8, thereby making it possible to set a direction in which the air guide flap 25 guides the air current flowing through the air vent 1.

[0032] Both the rotation of the two cylinder tube rings 18, 27 with respect to one another for pivoting the air guide flap 25 and a shared rotation of the two cylinder tube rings 18, 27 for rotating the air guide flap 25 about the axis of rotation 17 are carried out electromechanically using the electric motor 20, or also using multiple electric motors (not shown).

[0033] The air guide flap 25 can, generally speaking, also be interpreted as an air guide element or as an air control element.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

Air Vent

[0034] 1 air vent

[0035] 2 housing

[0036] 3 first air control element

[0037] 4 second air control element

[0038] 5 first air channel

[0039] 6 second air channel

[0040] 7 first helical gear

[0041] 8 second helical gear

[0042] 9 unassigned

[0043] 10 external thread

[0044] 11 shared drive element

[0045] 12 external thread

[0046] 13 spindle

[0047] 14, 14a internal thread

[0048] 15 spindle nut

[0049] 16 radial rib

[0050] 17 axis of rotation

[0051] 18 first cylinder tube ring

[0052] 19 radial rib

[0053] 20 electric motor

[0054] 21 first air outlet opening

[0055] 22 second air outlet opening

[0056] 23 first sliding guide

[0057] 24 second sliding guide

[0058] 25 air guide flap

[0059] 26 pivot axis

[0060] 27 second cylinder tube ring

[0061] 28 pin

[0062] 29 elongated hole